South San Francisco couple chase dog, get hit by drunken driver

A South San Francisco man was arrested Friday on suspicion of drunken driving after he ran his van into a couple who had chased their dog into the street, police said.

Richard Cronin, 53, was driving on Radburn Drive in South San Francisco around 6:10 p.m. when a 21-year-old woman and her 23-year-old boyfriend ran into the street near Williams Court to catch their dog, South San Francisco police said in a statement.

Cronin plowed into them, leaving the man with a broken hip and the woman with a spine injury, according to police, who didn't say what happened to the dog. They were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Cronin purportedly kept driving and ran into the back of a vehicle a few blocks later. A woman in that car complained of pain to her lower back, and her husband drove her to the hospital.

After the second collision, Cronin reportedly continued to drive until police caught up to him in the parking lot of Westborough Square Shopping Center in Daly City. His blood alcohol content was not available Monday.

Cronin was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and booked into San Mateo County Jail. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail and due in San Mateo County Superior Court on Tuesday if he is charged with a crime, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.